Massive congrats to the Mayo LGFA seniors who did so well to squeeze out a winner against Galway in their All-Ireland quarterfinal played in brutal conditions in Salthill.
Substitute Shauna Howley was the hero with the last-ditch hand-passed winner, but the late intervention and interception by centre-back Ciara Needham were game-changing, the reason Mayo won the game. Galway themselves were pushing hard to win the game with time almost up when Needham pounced and then raced up the field to set up the score for Howley. Mayo now face Kerry in the semifinal after the Kingdom ladies defeated All-Ireland champions Meath.
Dublin and Kerry come good
And then there were two. As the cliché goes – the cream always rises to the top, as Dublin and Kerry qualified to go head-to-head in this year's All-Ireland football final. Both were put to the pin of their collars by Northern opposition in their semifinals in what were two fantastic games of football, where every player left everything they had on the field.
The 1-17 to 0-13 result between Dublin and Monaghan suggests Dublin was comfortable in their semifinal, but they were anything but. There was nothing between these two teams with 64 minutes played in their encounter, but a late Dublin surge saw Dessie Farrell's team burst for home with an injury time Dean Rock goal all but sealing the result.
Monaghan must be given marvellous credit for what they brought to the party. I, for one, thought Dublin were going to blow them away from the get-go. As was the case in both semifinals, the underdogs always need to take every conceivable goal chance that presents itself, and Monaghan didn't. It was clearly obvious that Dublin's third-quarter blitzkrieg of Mayo was not going to be repeated against the Farney men as Vinnie Corey had his troops primed for no such capitulation. Monaghan showed real courage but ultimately ran out of gas and came up short.
I really fancied Derry's chances against Kerry, purely on the back of the fact that Kerry hadn't beaten any team of note, and everyone was hyping them after their annihilation of Tyrone in the quarterfinal. This was a Tyrone team that should have been dumped out of the championship by Westmeath in the All-Ireland series. This semifinal was a brilliant spectacle, intriguing and edge-of-the-seat from the first to last minute. The general consensus was it was going to be a drab defensive affair and very low-scoring. There were four clear goal chances in the first five minutes; two were taken, and two were not. The barnstorming Derry centre-back, Gareth McKinless, joined Eoghan McLaughlin as the only other player to raise a green flag against the Kingdom in this year's championship as he soccered the ball past Shane Ryan. To their credit, straight from the resulting kick-out, Kerry responded in kind when a brilliant lay-off from Sean O'Shea left it easy for Gavin White to palm to the net.
We were treated last Sunday to see two of the finest forwards of their generation, maybe of any generation. Shane McGuigan and David Clifford put on a breathtaking show. McGuigan shipped some heavy blows throughout the game but was unerring in his movement and accuracy against All-Star full-back Jason Foley. We really are running out of superlatives to describe what David Clifford is all about. I didn't think I would ever see a player look so graceful and skillful as brilliant as Maurice Fitzgerald; well, I have, and Clifford has the devil's streak in him which sets him apart as the very best. He put on a real show in the main arena. Derry fullback Chrissy McKaigue had simply no answer to his skill and physicality. Derry had two golden goal chances in the second half; I honestly feel if either went in, there was no way back for Kerry. Derry players absolutely emptied their tanks, especially Conor McCluskey, Gareth McKinless, and Brendan Rodgers; they put in unreal shifts for their team.
Kerry looked in bother at halftime as they were three points in arrears. The introduction of Stephen O'Brien at halftime turned the tide massively in their favor; he had a huge impact. The game, of course, didn't go by without controversy, as there were a few calls made by referee Joe McQuillan that were debatable and had a major impact on the swaying of the contest in Kerry's favor. Kerry goalkeeper Shane Ryan raced from his goal to gather possession in midfield; however, after claiming the ball, he turned his body and his backside smashed into the face of Shane McGuigan, almost knocking him out. Ironically, Ryan raced up the field to score for Kerry from it. Another ref could easily have given a free against him for dangerous play. Probably the most debatable of all was the awarding of a free to Kerry in the 66th minute in front of the Derry goal for a nothing foul on Stephen O'Brien by Gareth McKinless. Derry was two up and hanging on at this juncture. The awarding of that free was a game changer. There was barely any contact on O'Brien. From the pointed free, Kerry pushed up on Derry and squeezed them to see it home on a scoreline of 1-17 to 1-15. It was an enthralling spectacle.
